Muang Thong United vs Uthai Thani

Muang Thong United will be desperate to find their feet in 2022 when they lock horns with Uthai Thani in the Thai FA Cup last-16 tie at the Thunder Dome Stadium.

An encounter against second-tier opposition could be a prime opportunity for Muang Thong United to pick up some steam following an underwhelming five-game start to the new calendar year (W1, D2, L2). A lack of ruthlessness in front of goal saw the ‘Twin Qilins’ score under 1.5 goals four times during that five-match sequence, with three of their four goals netted in that time coming beyond the 40-minute mark. At home, Mario Gjurovski’s men have gone from five consecutive top-flight victories to back-to-back outings without winning (D1, L1). On the bright side, though, before falling to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Buriram United in their most recent home fixture, Muang Thong had bagged 2+ goals in six consecutive home matches, highlighting their scoring potential.

In the meantime, a 1-0 home triumph over non-other than Muang Thong back in mid-January fired Uthai Thani to a flying start to the new calendar year. After losing four consecutive Thai League 2 outings on the bounce, the visitors have won three of their last four competitive fixtures (L1), keeping a clean sheet on two of those occasions. Interestingly, since drawing 2-2 with Chainat in February, none of Uthai Thani’s last eight competitive away games have ended level (W4, L4), with 62.5% of those results (win/lost) coming by an identical 1-0 scoreline. But despite scoring precisely four goals in their last two competitive road trips (W2), the ‘Elephant’ will still have to defy the odds to crash the top-tier rivals out of the competition.